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Brian Masaba has urged the Baby Victoria Pearls to use their rest day to recover and prepare for a crucial final Group A match against Malawi at the ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup Africa Qualifier Division 1 in Dar es Salaam.
Uganda bounced back from their opening defeat to Nigeria with a five-wicket win over hosts Tanzania, keeping their hopes of reaching the semi-finals alive.
Masaba was pleased with the response after a difficult opening game, where Sarah Tino claimed five wickets but Uganda’s batting struggled as they were restricted to 59.
“We had a pretty close game today against Tanzania, very important for us in the context of the tournament,” Masaba said. “I’m very proud of the team for bouncing back and getting over the line. It was a bit close at the end, but ultimately we’ll take the win.”
The coach wants the players to use the rest day to recover before turning their attention to Malawi.
“We’ll just look to re-energize and prepare ourselves for the game against Malawi,” he said.
Uganda need a win against Malawi on September 2 to secure their place in the semi-finals, but Masaba is keen to keep the players focused on the immediate task rather than look too far ahead.
“It’s still a very important game for us, but more importantly it’s about keeping the girls focused on the bigger picture, which is to get into the semis,” he said.
The coach also urged his players to keep things simple as they chase Africa’s only ticket to the 2027 ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup.
“We’ll try not to plan too far ahead. Right now it’s about keeping it simple and making sure we keep doing the hard work and hopefully that will bring us the success that we are chasing.”
A win over Malawi would send the Baby Victoria Pearls into the semi-finals and keep their World Cup dream alive.
